East Hudson Valley News

Senator Rob Rolison (39th District) has successfully addressed key public safety, affordability, and environmental priorities through his recent votes on the fiscal year 2024-2025 New York State budget. In a statement, Rolison highlighted the significance of the budget's provisions, stating, "This state budget takes important steps to address crime and public safety. As a retired former police officer who served his community for 26 years, I understand that nothing else matters unless New Yorkers feel safe."

The budget, which amounts to $237 billion, encompasses various areas of legislation, including appropriations and Article VII language bills that link funding to specific policies. Rolison played a pivotal role by contributing bipartisan affirmative votes to crucial sectors such as Public Protection and General Government, Capital Projects, Transportation, Economic Development, and Environmental Conservation.

One of the notable features of the budget is the focus on combating shoplifting and organized retail theft, issues that have been identified as significant problems by a recent survey. The budget introduces measures such as making assault on a retail worker a Class E felony and creating a new offense related to the sale of stolen goods. Rolison supported allocating $25 million for State Police anti-retail-theft teams to prevent criminal gangs from robbing stores.

Furthermore, the budget enhances protections for essential workers by increasing penalties for harassment of transit employees and expanding the list of offenses eligible as hate crimes. Rolison emphasized the importance of these actions, stating, "Albany still has a long way to go to improve New York's broken criminal justice system, but the policies contained in the final budget document represent pragmatic, common-sense steps toward reform."

In addition to public safety initiatives, the budget allocates significant investments to capital projects, including road repaving, drinking water infrastructure, library construction, arts and cultural facilities, and public-transit resiliency. Rolison expressed pride in the bipartisan collaboration that secured funding for these essential projects, emphasizing the importance of supporting clean drinking water, pollution reduction, road maintenance, arts, state parks, and public libraries.

With a focus on improving the state's infrastructure and addressing critical public safety concerns, Senator Rob Rolison's contributions to the FY2024-25 New York State budget reflect a commitment to serving and safeguarding the well-being of constituents in the 39th District and beyond.